Your mom called and talked about dad’s pigeon toes. Carol came by and you two talked about the ass she 
went out with last night. That marketer called and you conversed with him in words you save only for special occasions. These and many other conversations happen every day, and a comedy female monologues is no different. You are naturally quite practiced at the art of speaking with other people. As you prepare for and eventually audition for a part recall them for inspiration.
The Art of Comedy Female Monologues
As you begin to choose and prepare a comedy female monologues try to think of each dialogue you read as a conversation you would have, or will have every day. With enough research and practice it can seem like any other natural discussion.
Who ya talkin’ to?
Every conversation has more than one person. Even in a conversation with yourself you have an audience, You1 and You2. There is always someone who is listening to the words coming out of your mouth. Think about how you interact with all the people in your life. Whether:
- Family
- Friend
- Acquaintance
- Co-worker
- Daily required contact (bus driver)
- Total stranger
It’s important to master the character’s mannerisms.
All of these potential dialogues can be used to enhance your comedy female monologues. Use your daily conversations to observe how an interaction might naturally sound in various situations. Once you have a grasp on how your own conversations go, it’s time to study the dialogue in your comedy female monologues and meld the two together. Finding the strengths of you and your potential role’s conversation skills will only lead you to a better monologue performance. Mixing the two styles into one smooth “voice” is the goal of any acting monologue. Bring out the best of both worlds.
Why are you talking anyway?
We communicate to:
- Inform
- Express emotion
- Learn (ask questions)
- Persuade
It’s your basic “types of sentences“ from 5th grade English. We all talk to people each day and our comedy female monologues is no different. In doing your preparations for your audition, explore not only who is this conversation with, but why are you having it in the first place? Relate that to your comedy female monologues; what’s so funny about this interaction? In order to determine this aspect of your characters, you will need to explore the entire piece you chose your monologue from. Who’s even the funny one? Are you funny? Are you the “straight man”? Without an overall knowledge of the themes and intentions of the play, movie, or book, your comedy female monologues can seem disjointed. It can even make you appear unprepared as an actress. Not something you want to happen at any audition.
Speaking with another person involves reacting to that person as you interact. Recall some of those everyday conversations we talked about earlier. Get the image in your head and then try to apply those images to the comedy female monologues you will be doing.
- Your stance
- How you work your hands
- Facial expressions
- Voice tonality
All these intricacies add to the audition panel’s vision of the conversation you are trying to create. You are showing them what you see in your head and inviting them to share your inner screen and enjoy the performance. Watch the Sue Heck monologue below and notice how her timing and flow add to the hilarity.
Final and Most Important Preparation for a Comedy Female Monologues
Practice
Practice, practice, practice. Words to live by when preparing for an audition. Whether doing a solo monologue or a conversation piece, try rehearsing with a partner. The feedback provided can be key in the development of your character and thus your comedy female monologues. Try using several partners. You will get various and sundry advice; listen and apply the useful information given by the ones you trust enough to perform with.
Take note of all those “intricacies” talked about earlier. Literally, take notes. Write down the things that you notice about your interactions with these other players. When you feel ready to start rehearsing your piece without the partners, visualize those absent actors. Playing the movie in your head, can reinforce the image you give off to the auditors. Placing others in the story is the aim of all acting. You can take the audition panel on a short comedic journey with you by following these few tips on how to prepare for your comedy female monologues.
